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type: Traditional
locale: en_US
title: Michelle Kay
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html_text: Nurse and educator Michelle Kay understands that, when it comes to life's most challenging problems, a little assistance can make the difference between thriving and just treading water. Whether she's helping clients work through a weight-management plan, work through a troubling divorce, or curb anxiety and depression, she teaches them tactics for improving their situation in a healthy, constructive manner.

One man crouches low, weapon resting on his shoulder. Another stands erect, a pair of binoculars held to his face. An entire military squad of toy soldiers stands ready for eternal battle within a shadow box crafted by Neal Raffensberger. The shadow box is one of 4,000 framing options showcased inside Raffensberger Photography & Framing's red-brick façade, where professional photographer and custom-framing specialist Neal and his assistant help patrons conserve their most beloved mementos. Multitudes of frames, mats, mountings, and glass—including conservation glass that blocks 99% of color-dulling UV rays—come together to display anything from photographs and posters to jerseys and wisdom teeth. Neal, who first dabbled in photography at the age of 5 in his father's basement darkroom, also flaunts his artistic eye behind the camera in the store's onsite studio. Families, couples, and proof-seeking Bigfoots can capture history in portrait sessions, which use digital photography to allow for immediate viewing after each shoot.

At Old Skool Fight Sports and Fitness, head coach Rob Pilger has won three Golden Gloves championships in boxing and fought professionally. Nowadays, though, he and his team helm workouts for all levels. Boot camps are taught by National Physique Competitor Erin Brown, who uses her boxing skills and passion for weightlifting to focus on skills more than fighting in the ring, with exercises like jump roping, burpees, and footwork drills. Trainers also lead more advanced training sessions for competitive boxers, along with youth boxing workouts and mixed-martial-arts sessions.

During a regular season that stretches from March to October, the players on Columbus Crew SC strike. The team’s soccer-specific stadium—the first professional one in the US—has served as a model for the rest of the MLS, granting crowds excellent sightlines of the on-field action. Newcomers to fútbol might want to sit near the Nordecke (German for North Corner) to witness the antics of the grassroots supporters’ groups.

Bugs are fascinating, especially to a six-year-old strapped with a Mickey Mouse 110 camera. These creepily photogenic critters were the first subjects Studio Polaris photographer Maggie Lawler’s ever shot. Though she has since captured images of couples on their wedding day, seniors before their graduation, and canine products for a corporate vendor, Maggie still loves “to act like a five-year-old most days.”
She finds the perfect shot by getting to know her clients and hearing their stories. With kids, she gets down to their level, asking them questions about their outfit, their favorite TV show, or their thoughts on whether cotton candy is better to eat or to wear as a wig. Once she’s built the foundation for a relationship, she begins shooting. She searches for the moments in between: the couple tenderly holding hands, the child wholeheartedly laughing. To catch these fleeting seconds, she doesn’t rely on fancy filters or equipment. “Anybody can own a Stradivarius,” she quips, “but not everyone can join the Boston Pops.” So rather than lean on technology’s crutch, she uses her artist’s eye, passed down the limbs of a family tree branched by her grandmother’s paintings and her father’s sculptures.
Today, she still is constantly snapping photos, either with her SLR or iPhone, taking shots of her daughter or her neighbors in line at the supermarket. With her work at Studio Polaris, Maggie considers each photo shoot a blessing. “I mean,” she says, “how many families have my work on their walls? It’s awe inspiring. I’m blown away by it.”